by Robin M Helm
“My, my. You certainly don’t look fifteen,” said Charlotte, suddenly feeling very old and dull at eighteen, sitting with two brilliant child prodigies.
“I had a growth spurt this past year,” Gregory explained with a heart-stopping smile. “My mom complained that she could never keep enough food in the house, and I had to have new clothes every couple of months.”
“Interesting,” was the only reply she managed. Whoever picked out his clothing today certainly did an outstanding job, she thought. That sweater hugs him like it was tailor-made for him, and I had no idea anyone could look that good in khakis. His outfit definitely did not come from Target.
“Well, this has been a treat, but I have to go to class now or I’ll be late,” Elizabeth announced, standing from her seat. “Thanks, Gregory. I really enjoyed it. I’ll see you at two thirty.”
“Ladies, we’ll have to do this again. Next time I won’t run you down, El. I promise to watch where I’m going from now on.”
As the three teens left the table to go their different ways, Xander was almost certain that Gregory had looked directly at him and winked, as if he could see him.
It stirred a memory of someone else with amber eyes and black hair.
Chapter 17
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
I Peter 5:8
May 2006
Lucifer, the Son of Perdition, sat imperiously on an immense regal throne in his counterfeit glory; Gregory was seated a little lower at his right hand. Father and son were resplendent in their black satin robes lined with crimson and detailed in gold thread. The royal guards stood in a semi-circle behind the dais in their hooded robes lending an air reminiscent of the ancient kings to the proceedings.
The Adversary had summoned the underprinces of all the dominions and their captains from across the globe to appear before him in the abandoned warehouse and had included Ryu and Tala, two high ranking demons from the southeastern portion of the United States, in the command. Speculation as to the purpose of the rare, worldwide meeting was rampant, and the evil beings buzzed like a hive of angry hornets. When the cacophony had reached a fever pitch, their sovereign lifted a hand. The gesture produced an uneasy quiet immediately.
He spoke deliberately, with great malice, biting each word. “The Bennet girl continues to waste perfectly good air, though six major attempts and countless smaller ones have been made on her life. My son has made more headway toward our goals in a few months than have the combined forces of all my servants in sixteen earth years. The last attempt, nearly eleven earth months ago, was a dismal failure resulting in the banishment of two of my most highly placed dark servants by Xander and his cohorts. They did not even survive the battle to appear before me. I was cheated of the satisfaction of dealing with them myself. It is unacceptable.”
A thunderous roar of disapproval erupted from the assembly. Apollyon, the destroyer, allowed the sound to wash over him, basking in the hatred of Xander pouring from his followers. After several minutes in which the vibrations of the shouting threatened to collapse the building, he again raised his hand for silence.
“I have decided that a subtler approach is required and have summoned my entire council today to announce that my son will now be in charge of disposing of the girl. This will be his first official act as my second in command. You will obey him as if I myself were speaking. We are one from this moment forward. When you see him, you are seeing me. You will bow to him as you bow to me. Any attack on him will be viewed as an attack on me. If he requires your assistance, you will give it. Do you understand?” He paused after each short sentence. The menace in his voice brooked no opposition.
As one, the dark ranks dropped to their knees and bowed their heads before father and son, their masters.
Beelzebub, the ruler and lord of the demons, the Dark Lord, stood with hauteur.
“Ryu and Tala, approach us.”
The dragon and the wolf, aptly named, rose, stepped forward, and bowed together before their monarchs.
Gregory rose to his feet slowly and lifted his chin a little higher as he addressed the two. He pronounced each word distinctly and with great deliberation. His authority rested on him like a prophetic mantle.
“I have chosen you. The positions of underprince and captain of the southeastern dominion of the United States have been vacant for too long. There is confusion among the ranks. Ryu, you are now underprince and Tala is your captain. You will assume the regular duties of your stations and control your subordinates as I handle the Bennet girl. In order to persuade her to accept me as more than just a friend, we must first end her little romance with the human boy, Richard. Nyx and Hadrian had the ear of a girl, an oppressed believer named Caroline Bingley. Because Xander and his cabal have ended their evil influence over this human female, you must give her new guides. She thirsts for revenge and is filled with envy and jealousy. Her carnal desires for the boy have made her an easy target and weakened the influence of her guardian. Your top priority is to make certain that your underlings use her backslidden condition to our advantage. I have been watching your dominion, and I suggest that you use Donovan and Akuji. Their skills could prove to be useful. They must begin immediately to establish a relationship with the girl. Understood?”
“Yes, my liege,” answered Ryu.
“It shall be done,” added Tala.
The Dark Lord looked proudly at his son. Gregory’s plan was sound. Success was within his greedy grasp.
~~oo~~
Xander smiled brightly as he followed Elizabeth and Richard throughout the house. Her adventure had begun when she found a letter in their mailbox from the church secretary addressed to her.
“What could Mrs. Goodwin be sending me?” she had asked Richard. It was Friday, and he had come over to the Bennet house after school to watch a movie and join Elizabeth and Lynne for pizza. David was in Romania leading a team from the church on a mission trip.
As Elizabeth had opened the letter, she had laughed aloud with delight, dark eyes sparkling with pleasure. It was a treasure map with a letter from the Dreaded Pirate David, handwritten on thick yellow paper that had been crumpled and torn around the edges to make it appear old. The letter told her of a treasure hidden somewhere in the house and provided a riddle leading to the hiding place of the next clue. Her father had prepared the surprise for her before he left the country and had given the missive to his secretary to mail. He had hidden clues, written on the distressed paper, all over their home, with each clue leading to the next and her promised surprise in the place indicated by the final clue. It was obvious that he had put much thought and work into the unexpected gift for his daughter to bring her happiness while he was away.
“This is awesome! My dad is the best!” she exclaimed as they unraveled the first riddle.
Richard joined her as they ran from room to room, her infectious giggles resounding throughout the house as they deciphered the rhyming clues until they found the treasure – her favorite Trolli sour gummy worms and a bag of Ghirardelli caramel-filled chocolates – under her bed.
Xander and Garnet had enjoyed the pleasant break from the near-constant demonic attacks. It is good to see them laughing like children, said Xander. Garnet nodded in agreement. He had been concerned about his charge’s mood for quite some time.
Richard had not shown much joy in the past few weeks. He was nearing the end of his senior year of high school, and no colleges had offered him athletic scholarships. His grades had never been stellar, but his low spirits had caused him to study even less, and he would be doing well to pass all of his subjects in his final semester. Because Elizabeth’s scores had always been perfect, Richard had not shared his problems with her. She had repeatedly asked him what was wrong, but he had avoided telling her. He hated the thought that she would feel sorry for him, or, worse, that she would think he was stupid. He would graduate high school, but he would
lack any scholarship money, and he well knew that his parents could not afford to send him to college. Richard knew that he could work his way through school, or that he could take out student loans, but neither option was very attractive to him. Realistically, he had never decided upon a major or any job that he wanted to do; therefore, going to college seemed rather pointless. He was drifting in no particular direction.
~~oo~~
Late in the next afternoon, Richard’s cell phone buzzed to alert him to a text message. He flipped it open and saw a message from Caroline Bingley.
“Party at Grant’s house tonite. Wanna come?”
He had no plans because Elizabeth was being featured in a piano exhibition and seminar at Converse. She had invited him to join her, but he had told her that he had a school assignment to finish. Consequently, Elizabeth and her mother had left without him early that morning. I’m nearly finished with my project. Why not go to the party? I might actually have a good time.
Garnet frowned from behind him and leaned forward to speak into Richard’s ear. This is a bad idea. Do not go. Caroline and her crowd will be drinking. El would not like this.
Richard looked at himself in the mirror. “El will never know,” he said to his reflection.
Quickly, he answered Caroline’s text. “When?”
Her answer was immediate. She must have been waiting with her fingers on the buttons. Garnet did not like this new development at all. Anything associated with Caroline Bingley was sure to bring trouble to Richard.
“8. B there or b square. ; )”
“k”
Richard bit his lip for a few moments, considering what he was about to do. His handsome face stared back at him. Then he shrugged his shoulders and headed down the hall for a shower. I can handle this.
Garnet looked up to the heavens in exasperation before he followed Richard to the bathroom.
Richard’s parents had gone to another couple’s house for dinner and would be gone for a couple of hours. He wrote them a note telling them where he would be and left it on the kitchen counter.
~~oo~~
Caroline was looking out of the window of Grant’s living room when Richard pulled up in his black Mustang. He is SO hot! Finally I’ll get him alone without that little twit. He’s been with her for about a year and a half now, and it’s for sure she hasn’t given him any. This will be almost too easy.
He could hear the ear-splitting music when he turned off the car’s engine.
Before Richard had time to put his hand on the front door knob, Caroline was opening the door. She took his hand and pulled him inside, smiling up at him seductively. After spending an hour deciding what to wear, she was quite satisfied with the effect of her choice. “Sexy and ready” was her aim, and she fairly screamed it. Caroline wore a black pushup bra under a cream see-through, short-waisted blouse, leaving enough buttons unbuttoned to display her ample cleavage. Jean short-shorts showed her long, tanned legs to advantage while her espadrilles lifted her heels to tighten her calf muscles. She was beautiful and trashy, and she knew how to work it.
Richard’s eyes flew wide open in shock. Her message was for him, and it was unmistakable. I came to have a good time, but not THAT good of a time. She’s probably slept with a hundred guys. I could catch something really nasty from her, he thought. Besides, I love El, he added belatedly, feeling a little guilty at his deception. Elizabeth thought he was spending the evening with his parents.
Garnet followed Richard into the house, and what he saw there did nothing to cheer him. Ros was the only other guardian in attendance. The room was packed with demons of all sizes and shapes, and the house reeked with the smell of evil.
“Hello, handsome! I’m so glad you came. Grant’s parents are gone for the weekend, so the house is ours.” Caroline entwined his fingers with those of her right hand, slowly licking her lips as she raked her eyes up and down his body in a clear invitation.
Donovan, the dark warrior, stood behind Caroline with Akuji, whose name meant “dead and awake,” denoting his gift for manipulating drunken humans. The powerful demons stroked her arms and reminded her constantly of all the things she wanted to do with Richard and to him. She relished the lurid thoughts and dwelt on them. Caroline had visualized having Richard for nearly two years; she had dreamed of it almost every night. She had spent hours undressing him in her mind. It did not matter to her what she would have to do to get him into bed because tomorrow was nothing to her. After all, she did not want a relationship with him, so the consequences of a one-night stand were unimportant. Her goal, her obsession, was to possess him for one night. This was not about romance or love – it was all about having what she wanted and settling a score with Elizabeth. She had not forgotten the humiliation of being hit in the nose and walking around with a black eye for a week.
Elizabeth will pay for what she did. The little twit will hurt like she hurt me. She will be embarrassed in front of all of her friends, and she will lose Richard. Nobody treats me like that and gets away with it. I wish that she could see me with Richard. Actually, that’s a great idea! I think it can be arranged.
Garnet and Ros heard her vindictive thoughts and looked at each other with disgust. Caroline’s debauchery was reaching a new low.
Caroline took Richard’s arm and steered him over to Grant, Lydia, and her other friends. “Grant, take care of Rich for a moment while Lydia and I go to the girls’ room.”
Lydia looked at her with a question in her eyes. “Come on, Lydia. We’ll be right back, guys. Don’t go anywhere,” Caroline said to Richard in a sultry voice, kissing his cheek lightly as she released his arm. She and Lydia disappeared into the half-bath on the first floor of Grant’s house.
Grant handed Richard a beer, saying, “It’s about time you had some fun, Richard. I remember when we used to hang out together, before you hooked up with Saint El.”
Richard accepted the beer with a small frown. “El’s great. She has nothing to do with this. We’re still together.”
You won’t be after tonight, stupid, passed through Grant’s mind. Maybe I’ll give her a call in a couple of days. Being her rebound could be fun.
Richard was on his second beer by the time Caroline and Lydia returned. He was feeling a pleasant buzz. More kids kept streaming in, and the music pounded in his head. The “Promiscuous” video was playing on MTV, and the sensual images stirred memories and longings in him. He was technically a virgin, because he had never had full intercourse, but he had done everything except that. Since he had started talking to Elizabeth, he had been chaste – they had never done more than kiss and hug – but the images of the things that he had experienced before she was his girlfriend were as fresh in his mind as if they had happened yesterday. They were burned into his brain.
Garnet heard the directions his thoughts were taking and tried to talk to him, but he realized that it was pointless. Donovan and Akuji leered at Garnet, knowing that he was powerless to stop what was happening. They had no intention of attacking Richard physically; therefore, Garnet’s sword would remain sheathed.
Every time Richard finished drinking one beer, another seemed to appear miraculously in his hand, and he kept drinking until he no longer felt guilty, or stupid, or like a loser. The drunker he got, the better Caroline looked to him. In his mind, he was brilliant and witty. Everyone laughed at his jokes, he thought he was important, and in his alcohol-induced euphoria, he forgot all that he had been taught at Tabernacle and Peniel. The youth pastor had warned them that an inebriated person gives up control of himself, and that putting oneself in that situation leaves a believer open to satanic attack. He felt all-powerful, impervious to demonic influences.
At eleven, Grant went to his room and called Richard’s parents to let them know their son was spending the night at his house. Mrs. Williams was not happy that Richard was with Grant, but she was glad to know that he was safe. He was, after all, old enough to make some decisions himself. She chose not to interfere, fearful that she
would embarrass him in front of his friends, deciding instead that she and Jim would talk to Richard about it the next day. “Okay, Grant. Just remind him that we will expect to see him at church tomorrow morning.”
“Sure thing, Mrs. Williams. I’ll tell him that for you. ‘Bye.” Grant guffawed as he hung up the phone. This is epic.
By twelve, Richard staggered and his speech was slurred. He had not noticed Caroline slipping a little blue pill, which she had stolen from her dad’s medicine cabinet, into one of his bottles. His need for relief increased to the point that he offered no resistance at all when she led him to a spare bedroom and lived out her fantasies.
Garnet was grieved. He and Ros turned their faces away as the demons encouraged Caroline to go farther and farther in her wickedness. Ros knew that Caroline really did not need anyone to spur her on. Certainly, he could do nothing to stop her. She had given herself over to a reprobate mind.
The two holy angels were unable to prevent what was happening; their charges were willing participants. The dark ones reveled in their victory while the two guardians were subjected to the sounds of coupling. While the demons exulted, the light beings wept as another saint fell farther away from God. Garnet and Ros threw back their heads and cried aloud in anguish at Richard’s betrayal of all that was good and lovely. Garnet knew that his charge truly loved Elizabeth, and that the choices he had made this night would have dire consequences. Sin was fun for a season, but there was always a reckoning.
A few miles away at the Bennets’ home, Xander’s eyes flew open from his meditation as he heard their cries. Lifting his head, he saw what was telepathed by their minds. He watched over Elizabeth in the dim light, innocently sleeping and dreaming of the young man she loved so dearly, and two tears escaped from his sorrowful eyes, rolling slowly down his cheeks. He bowed his head and covered his face with his wings, aching for the pain she would feel when Richard’s actions were revealed. How could he do this to Elizabeth? Her heart will be broken. How will she bear it?